Halo creator Bungie forced to release first pic of new game before it wanted

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Bungie, the games studio behind the phenomenally successful Halo franchise - until the latest, at least - has released the first piece of concept art from its new intellectual property, Destiny. However, it hadn't planned to do so quite yet, but leaks have forced its hand.

A story posted on games site IGN revealed some purported concept art and plot details of the new game, leaked by "a reader" who got his or her hands on an official document prepared by an advertising agency.

That sheet summarises the major storyline, and reveals plot details that Bungie would rather have kept secret for now. "Our story begins seven hundred years from now in the Last City on Earth, in a Solar System littered with the ruins of man’s Golden Age," it says.

"A massive, mysterious alien ship hangs overhead like a second Moon. No one knows where it came from or what it’s here for, but only that it’s our protector. Meanwhile, strange, alien monsters creep in from the edge of the universe, determined to take Earth and the Last City. We are young ‘knights’ tasked with defending the remains of humanity, discovering the source of these monsters and – eventually – overcoming it."

The information also lists the name of the massive ship as "the Traveler".

What's really exciting is the scope and ambition of Destiny. Bungie's goal is "to create a universe as deep, tangible and relatable as that of the Star Wars franchise".

Bungie's response to the document leak is to go with the flow, releasing the first official pic along with a brief statement. "Go ahead. Take a peek. It’s al right. We weren't quite ready, but we will be soon, and we can’t wait to finally show you what we've really been up to," it said.